Former US Central Command (CENTCOM) commander General Frank McKenzie has stated that Pakistan was correct about United States not staying in Afghanistan.
On Friday, in comments to NBC, McKenzie admitted US failure in the war-torn nation and said Pakistan was right.
McKenzie said, “Pakistanis never believed that we would stay; they always thought that we would leave,” adding, “You know that? They were right, we left.”
He stated that Pakistan has served as the Taliban’s safe haven and that neither the US nor Pakistan were able to fix this issue for the entirety of the 20-year fight.
McKenzie also acknowledged that Washington attempted unsuccessful nation-building in Afghanistan and insisted on using a Western model, which was incorrect.
He said, “I don’t know that Afghanistan is governable or sustainable with a Western model. I know that Afghanistan is governable and sustainable from an Afghan model. But we paid too little attention to Afghan realities on the ground.”
The senior US general stated that Afghanistan had been a political failure for four US administrations over a period of twenty years and added that it includes “military and diplomatic failures.”
He also emphasized that it is still too early to predict what will happen in Afghanistan and that the war-torn nation continues to be a breeding ground for threats against the US.
He said that extremist organizations supported by the Taliban would present fresh threats to US leadership.
The 20-year war in Afghanistan was declared over by the US on August 30, 2021.
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